


barhopping

by icedlemonwater



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Drunken Confessions, Drunken Flirting, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Excessive Drinking, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change, Slow Burn, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-29
Updated: 2019-08-12
Packaged: 2020-03-26 18:13:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19011175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icedlemonwater/pseuds/icedlemonwater
Summary: You get a call from a fellow coworker concerning the activities of the office douche, Gavin Reed. After having to stay late into the night at the Detroit Police Department, you begrudgingly call a cab to the nearby bar in order to ensure Gavin's drunk ass makes it home - or at least, to your apartment - in one piece. You soon find out that they don't call it "liquid courage" without reason, though.Disclaimers: Reader uses she/her pronouns. This is a semi-total revamp of a story that i had originally posted in late 2018 under "anonymous" that was titled, "how do you know what's good for me?" This story also does NOT reflect a realistic diagnosis/recovery of alcoholism.





	1. Chapter 1

You sighed softly, your head thumping against the head of the cab’s backseat in a foggy mixture of annoyance and exhaustion. Your gaze drifted to the blazing orange of the radio clock as it read 12:26 A.M., and you then watched as the driver absentmindedly turned the volume dial up a few notches to fill the silence. The pale yellow of the streetlights raced across the inside of the cab, as well as repeatedly illuminated the barrage of snowflakes that rushed past the windshield. Arms crossing over your chest and legs crossing at your ankles, you suppressed a shiver, turning your head to then watch the night scene rush past your window. Even with a thick coat, scarf, and gloves, it was still too damn cold to be out at this hour.

“No offense, lady, but you chose a real shitty time to grab a ride to the bar. Snow’s not supposed to stop for a few hours.” the driver suddenly groused like he had just read your mind, his rough voice jerking you out of your thoughts.

Without looking at him, you chuckled lightly at his blunt honesty. “Someone I know drove himself there earlier and now he’s too shitfaced to drive home in one piece. I’m gonna go get him and his car before he puts them both in a ditch.”

The driver merely grunted in reply, telling you that he was now done with the conversation. With a few minutes remaining before you reached the bar, you sat up a little straighter and rubbed the side of your neck in an attempt to stay awake. You could feel your eyes burning now, and you fought the urge to yawn.

That asshole better be thankful tomorrow morning.

 

* * *

 

After pointing out the flickering street sign and allowing the cab time to crawl up to the front entrance- mindfully avoiding a stumbling couple making their way into the blanketed parking lot- you started to unbuckle your seatbelt. You pulled your wallet out of your coat pocket as the driver begrudgingly mumbled the total to you. Pulling the desired bill out, you then folded the wallet back and snapped it shut. “Thanks. Sorry to drag you out this late.” you offered sincerely, extending a twenty dollar bill in between the two front seats as you popped the back door open to make your leave.

The driver seemed to perk up a little at that, and he almost hesitated before taking that cash. Almost. “…thanks. You two be careful.” he gruffed, stuffing the generous tip in his back pocket. You smiled, and then winced as you turned toward the bitingly cold air that rushed through the open door. The wind had started to pick up, and you cringed as the snowflakes assaulted your face. After awkwardly worming your way out of the seat, you quickly wrapped your scarf a little tighter around your neck as you stood.

Leaning into the open door, you replied, “You do the same.” before firmly pushing it shut, and taking a step back to allow the driver to leave. You bit the inside of your cheek as his tires tried to spin against the slick coating of snow that was already on the ground, feeling somewhat guilty.

You continued to watch as he left the lot, and once he was out of your sight, you took a deep breath before turning and locking your sights on the front door of the bar. It seemed like any other shitty dive in Detroit, and thankfully, you couldn’t hear (or feel) any obnoxiously loud bass thumping from inside. Windows were blacked out, a neon sign of an animated beer bottle flickered from side to side, beckoning patrons to come in for a drink, and a few people hung around the front; some talking softly amongst themselves, a few smoking. Your teeth clenched slightly as your stomach dropped a little, closing your fists against the clammy nervousness that started to form on your palms inside your gloves. You weren’t exactly _uncomfortable_ at the bar scene when you were with friends, but being alone was a whole other story. Staring straight ahead, you started walking toward the front door, crunching snow and gravel beneath your boots, pulling your best resting bitch face in an attempt to deter any unwanted interactions. You were on a mission, and you were determined to get in and out as quickly as possible.

“Heeeeyyyy, lil’ lady,” a voice slurred to your left as you made your way up the worn down steps. You instinctively shoved your fists into your coat pockets, hands searching for something out of habit, only to curse under your breath as you suddenly remembered the absence of any means of self-defense from your person; you had left your mace, stun gun, _gun_ gun, etc. back at your apartment in your frenzy to get here. _‘The one time I assumed that I didn’t need to carry all that shit.’_ you swore internally.

Ignoring the man, you took to the stairs a little quicker, feeling a heavier set of feet now following closer behind you. When you reached the top, just a foot or so away from the door, you felt a hand grab lazily at the back of your coat. “Don’t ignore me, bitch, I’m talkin’ t-“

Immediately, you whipped around, jerking your coat from his half-hearted grasp as you took a step back, one hand seizing his wrist in an iron grip while your other went for the badge that was still (thankfully) hooked onto the belt of your jeans. As the man tried to gather his drunken senses on what had just happened, you flicked the badge open in front of his face, the silver of the badge glinting.

You straightened your stance, gaining a hopeful inch over the man in your grasp as he was still a stair or two below you, and you fixed him with a cold stare as he just blinked at the badge in his face. “I wouldn’t make a habit of grabbing at strangers like that if I were you.” you barked, your firm tone prompting the man to then place his full, wide-eyed attention onto you.

“I-I, uh, I was just-“

You let go of his wrist, hooking the badge back onto your belt without breaking eye contact. By now, the bystanders around you had gotten a lot quieter, chattering nervously amongst themselves while they waited for the scene before them to unfold. You crossed your arms, still staring down at the drunkard before you. “Save it, man. You need to call a cab- do NOT drive,” you commanded, pointing at him. “and go home n’ sleep that shit off. Not sure if you’re here with friends, but I do not want to see you getting behind the wheel tonight, because then I’ll likely be showing up to your wreck soon after to see you on a stretcher. Understood?”

“Yes, ma’am. I’m sorry.” he mumbled, face red from either alcohol, embarrassment, or maybe both. He looked younger than 21 now that you thought about it, but you had more important things to worry about.

“Go get some sleep, and be careful on your way home. I’m serious about not driving.” you commanded, quirking an eyebrow up at him before you turned away, finally making your way inside. You ignored the stares you garnered as you stepped over the threshold.

The smell of stale cigarettes was the first thing to assault your senses, your nose scrunching in disgust. As you peered around, you could also see a faint haze that loomed in the air, the yellowed fan lights covering everything in a warm hue. Music was playing from a radio somewhere, but it was too faint underneath the sounds of boisterous laughing, glasses clinking, and chatter to really tell what it was. You were thankful for the warmth, however; your teeth chattered and you rubbed your hands together, trying to prompt some more circulation through your fingers.

Eyes flickering from one figure to another, you gave pause when they landed on someone who seemed to be passed out at the bar straight ahead. You could spot that ratty ass leather jacket anywhere. Before you started to make your way over, however, you gave pause as the person in question sluggishly lifted their head, trying to coax the remnants of their shot from the small glass in their hand. You huffed as you recognized the dark brown, messy hair, and the telltale scar that ran across the bridge of the man’s nose.

Gavin Reed. A _very_ _drunk_ Gavin Reed.


	2. Chapter 2

Weaving in between strangers, you eventually strode up behind the man in question as Gavin’s head landed back into his crossed arms with a dull thud on the counter top. You glanced up at the bartender, who had watched you walk over, assuming you were wanting something to drink but was now silently questioning you with a slight squint. You gave a sheepish smile, counting the mass of glasses that sat overturned on the bar top in front of Gavin.

“I, uh… I hope he wasn’t too much trouble.” you offered, crossing your arms and shifting your weight on a different leg awkwardly.

The bartender snorted, placing his hands on the counter and leaning forward. “He’s been a regular for a while, but this is the first night I’ve had to actually cut him off. You break his heart or something?” he smirked, teasing, but not unkindly.

You gave an honest laugh at that. “I’m a coworker, and a friend. A mutual friend saw his car here earlier today and got worried when they saw it _again_ some hours later. They were too busy to play babysitter tonight, so they called me.”

“Gotcha. Gotta say, he might be one of the rudest bastards I tend to, but he can definitely hold his drink.” he chuckled, shaking his head in slight disbelief after nodding to the congregation of glasses in front of him. “He also definitely didn’t hesitate to rack up a tab tonight, either.”

You sighed through your nose, your gaze drifting back to the man slumped over in front of you. You half wondered if he was even awake. “Considering he hasn’t even cussed me yet, I’d say so.” You placed a hand on his shoulder then, shaking firmly. “Gavin. Gavin, wake up.”

Nothing.

You stepped closer, taking both shoulders in your hold as you jostled him more roughly. “Gavin, wake _up!_ We gotta go, c’mon.”

His reply was a harsh grunt and curling up further into the bar top, and you could barely manage to make out the slurred swearing underneath his breath. Fixing the back of his head with a determined stare and biting the inside of your lip, you then took both of his shoulders and tried to heave his upper half up and off of the counter. “ _Gavin_ , come _on_ , you need to leave.” you barked, voice straining slightly with the effort it took to coax him out of his ball. You ignored the bartender’s snicker in front of you, resisting the urge to glare daggers at him.

You gasped as the weight you were pulling at suddenly gave way. “Jesus _Christ_ , leave me alone, ‘m fine.” the lump of man before you barked drunkenly, suddenly lurching to life. With his abrupt resurrection to the land of the living, you had to catch yourself by gripping onto his jacket, to which he rudely jerked out of your hold in response. He turned in his spinning stool to face you more fully then, one fist on the table top and his other hand bracing himself against his knee in a feeble attempt to look more sober. You then raised your hands up in a non-threatening posture, but couldn’t help matching his venomous scowl with one of your own.

During your stare down, however, you took the opportunity to observe the man who sat in front of you; flushed and puffy face, red eyes, dark under eye circles… shaggy hair, ragged clothes, droopy eyelids. You frowned, your stomach clenching in guilt. You weren’t _close_ to Gavin, per say, but even if he _was_ a prick, you did care about his well-being. You knew he wasn't the cheeriest of guys in the department, but this...

Gavin snorted, breaking your reverie, his expression shifting into a sneer. “Enjoyin’ the view?” he mocked, going to lean back in order to look all casual and aloof. However, he’d seemed to have forgotten that his stool didn’t have a back on it. His smirk quickly flipped to a grimace as his hazy eyes went wide in fear.

With no hesitation, you lunged forward, hands once more clamping into the worn leather of his jacket, fisting into either side where the hood started at his shoulders. Planting one foot slightly in front of you, you quickly hoisted Gavin back up into a seated position, his hands now gripping onto your wrists in shock. Once you'd gotten him stabilized, all he seemed to be able to do was stare owlishly at you in response. This close, you could smell the alcohol coming from the man’s pores.

You smiled sadly, your grip loosening as you took a small step back to give him some space. “I probably would’ve enjoyed the view of your ass in the floor better, but luckily for you, I’m not that mean.” you teased. It almost felt wrong really trying to provoke the man in front of you in his inebriated state. Releasing him, you maneuvered to his side and placed a hand under his upper arm, prompting him to stand. “Let’s get you out of here before you really do embarrass yourself.”

Surprisingly, it didn’t take much more than that to goad him into moving. “You’re a fuckin’ nag, y’know that?” he slurred, trying so hard to look intimidating, but only managing to pout. “I’m perfectly… capable.”

You laughed then, shaking your head before glancing over at him with an incredulous look. “Capable of _what,_ exactly?” You then pulled his arm over your shoulders, keeping your grip clasped around his wrist. While you tried to distract him with conversation, you pried the empty shot glass that he’d unconsciously grabbed from his hold so he wouldn’t steal it from the bar as you drug him away. You also managed to throw two twenties onto the counter when the bartender slipped over to clean up after him. He picked up the bills, eyes peeking up at you in silent question. _Keep the change,_ you mouthed, not wanting to draw attention to yours and Gavin’s exit.

“Capable!” Gavin growled back, deciding that was enough clarification as he leaned almost too heavily into you when you placed an arm around his waist to urge him toward the exit. “I’m DPD’s best detective, ‘n you know it.”

“Uh-huh. Not so sure DPD’s best would be getting trashed at a bar with no responsible way home, though.” You nodded in thanks at the bouncer as he pushed the door open for you, ignoring the look of pity that the man seemed to give you. “Watch your step,” you murmured, straining slightly to ensure he stayed upright as he picked one foot up after the other over the threshold of the bar’s entrance.

After conquering the stairs, Gavin stayed strangely quiet while the two of you trudged toward his car, and you started to panic a little, praying that he wasn’t about to pass out on you. Literally. “Gavin, stay with me, we’re almost there.” you urged, digging your fingers slightly in his ribs as you tried to rouse him. He gave a sharp inhale and suddenly jerked further into your side, away from the sensation.

‘Ticklish.’ You giggled inwardly at the discovery. Who would’ve thought?

“I’m fuckin’ awake, Jesus.” he grumbled. The cold winter air of Detroit seemed to help sober him up some and you felt part of his weight lift off of you as he began cooperating. Still keeping his arm around your shoulders and your own around his waist, the two of you made your way toward his car. Once you reached the vehicle, you gave pause. Noticing that passenger handle had a button that was press to unlock, you tapped it with your knuckle, and gave quick praise to the universe when his car's headlights flickered to life and the locks shifted open in the doors. Gavin then seemed to get the gist of what you were wanting him to do, prying himself off of you and opening the door, slowly helping himself into the seat. Once he pulled his heavy limbs into the vehicle, you carefully shut the door while he fumbled with the seat belt, and walked around to the driver’s side.

Getting in, you hit the brake with your foot and pressed the ignition button, immediately cranking up the heat while the sound of your chattering teeth and whatever alternative music that was playing on the radio filled the silence between the two of you. You huffed into your clasped hands, breath billowing out from the gaps in your fingers. The cold was too much for the thin material of your pitiful cotton gloves, it seemed. You also wanted to kick yourself for not bringing a thicker coat of some sort; during the trek to his vehicle, you’d grown accustomed to Gavin’s body heat radiating into your side, and now you were mourning the loss. “Fuck, it’s cold.” you hissed mainly to yourself, hot breath hissing into your hands, urging away the numbness that had crept into your fingertips.

A hasty shifting to your right grabbed your attention then, and you glanced over to see Gavin squirming out of his leather jacket. You couldn’t help but tilt your head in confusion as you watched him clumsily escape from his only source of warmth. “Here,” he offered, shrugging his arms out of the sleeves and then balling up the coat in one hand, handing it over to you. You could feel the surprise written all over your face, and your heart fluttered slightly as the unexpectedly kind gesture. When you didn’t accept the offer immediately, he pushed it toward you insistently. “I’m drunk as fuck so ’m not feeling the cold nearly as bad. Take it.”

“Uh… thanks,” you murmured, hesitantly taking the jacket from his hand and pulling your arms through the sleeves, tightening the front around your small frame. It honestly felt like it was engulfing you, the sleeves coming a good inch or so past your fingertips, and even thought it smelled like alcohol and stale cigarette smoke, you took a moment to revel in its warmth. You shuddered and sighed in relief, rubbing at your arms rapidly in an attempt to invite the blood flow back into them.

You turned back to Gavin, who was now almost fully laid back in his seat, head turned toward you as he watched you through half lidded eyes and one arm behind his head, the other draped lazily over his stomach. You thought you saw a slight smirk on his lips, and you looked away from his observing gaze, your cheeks warming. What had gotten into him?

“I’m gonna end up stealing this now, just so you know.” you joked awkwardly, trying to break up whatever it was that had grown between the two of you. You hands cupped around your mouth once more and white fog puffed out from around your clutched fingers as you looked back at him timidly. A slow grin then creased Gavin’s face, and your own slight smile seemed to widen at his nonchalant shrug.

Your heart clenched. He was drunk; you had to keep that in mind. He probably wouldn’t even remember any of this tomorrow. However, his next statement did nothing to help your… discomfort.

“Don’t give a shit if you do. Looks good on you.”

Your face promptly caught fire, and you coughed in reply as your breath became stuck in your throat. Wordlessly, you pulled the seat belt across you and yanked the gear shift into drive, taking off, refusing to acknowledge the compliment that now hung in the air. In order to alleviate any too-quiet moments in the making, you also turned the radio up to a slightly louder volume. It was too dark to tell if Gavin was still looking at you, but thankfully it was also too dark for him to see your reaction to his words.

As you drove through the cold streets of Detroit, snow began to drift down and fly past your vehicle, the flakes steadily growing in size as time passed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i don't know how many of you are returning readers, but i did reuse a lot of old writing for this chapter. bonus points if you recognize it! also, apologies for the delayed update. muse is kinda hard to find after working 3 twelve hour shifts in a row every week, heh. 
> 
> and a small PSA, i may fudge around with the chapters' contents here and there. nothing major will change, but without a beta, i tend to catch errors days to weeks later. i apologize in advance if there's any errors, but please don't hesitate to let me know if y'all find something that may need fixed. questions/suggestions are always welcome. :)
> 
> enjoy!


	3. Chapter 3

As you drove at a steady crawl through downtown, anxiety gnawed at your stomach. A soft guitar strummed along on the radio while the gentle snores to your left resounded throughout the cab. You shoved the small, nagging voice in your ear further into the back of your mind as you readjusted your posture to sit up taller in the driver’s seat. The antsy part of you was beginning to question whether or not this plan was… appropriate. On one hand, you were helping a very drunk coworker-slash-acquaintance home in order to keep him from possibly killing himself on the road. You were doing a good thing, a thing that any person with good morals would do, and it wasn’t weird at all.  

On the other hand, “home” was YOUR home, as it was impossible to ask said drunk coworker for reliable directions to his own house. Gavin Reed was going to be in your house, where he would spend the night; Gavin, who seemed to get off on giving you constant grief at work, and who you swore would antagonize you on purpose just to fight with you…

…and who you think might’ve just _flirted_ with you moments prior. Who, as you spared a quick glance over just to check on him, looked so different from the douche you’d see glowering around the DPD. Ignoring the heavy bags under his eyes, the tension that he usually carried in his posture and face had melted away. You felt a wave of dread wash over you as you watched him sleep for a second more before bringing your eyes back to the road.

Your jaw clenched. _‘Control yourself and stop being weird about this. Christ. The most exciting thing that’s probably gonna happen is that he’ll puke all over your bathroom and knock out beside the toilet.’_ you snapped, mentally kicking yourself.

Focusing on the radio for the remainder of the ride, you carefully pulled the vehicle into your driveway after what felt like an eternity, pulling in beside your own parked vehicle. Despite the road you lived on usually being pretty busy with foot and vehicle traffic alike, the surrounding area felt like a ghost town at that moment. Placing his car in park and shutting it off, you then hurriedly hopped out, tugging his jacket’s sleeves past your fingers and crossing your arms as you tried to ward away the cold. You partly hated how warm it made you feel; even while wearing a coat of your own, Gavin’s jacket truly swallowed you.

The snow beneath your feet was now thick enough to crunch under your every step, and you were thankful to have made it back in one piece. Opening the passenger side door, you crouched slightly and gently jostled Gavin’s shoulder. No reaction. “Gavin, wake up,” you urged, nudging him a little harder, watching as his head roll around with the force of the motion. “ _Gavin._ ” you called his name a little louder.

Still nothing.

Irritated and now starting to freeze, you growled under your breath, trying to figure something out as you watched Sleeping Beauty snooze away in front of you. Taking him in once more, you half wondered how you’d drag him inside if it really came down to it. Trying to maneuver him out of the bar yourself was one thing; he at least somewhat participated in that. There was no way you’d be able to carry Gavin’s weight from here and to your front door, and then onto your couch. Glancing up, you watched the flakes dance around the fluorescent orange of the streetlights that spotted the empty road.

An idea struck you then. Eyes flickering down to the ground and then to the man slumped over in the seat in front of you, you grinned mischievously. You bent down to gather a decent amount of snow in your hands, only giving pause as you watched as Gavin rouse slightly. You waited until he settled back down before you stood, creeping over to him as you braced yourself. Hand full of heavy wet snow, you brought it in close and positioned it perfectly before you swiftly pressed the bitingly cold substance into the crook of the sleeping man’s neck, effectively shoving some of it down past the neckline of his shirt while you were at it.

“WH- H- FUCK—“ Gavin yelped, shoving your arm away and almost jumping out of his skin. He bolted upright, bringing his free hand up to desperately wipe the melting snow off his neck. Jumping back, you were fully cackling now, leaning into your open door for support. Wild eyed and heart still undoubtedly racing, the glare that Gavin gave you then was enough to kill.

“Holy _shit_ ,” you wheezed, slight tears forming in the corners of your eyes. Subconsciously, you took another gracious step back, hands held up defensively as he seemed to be trying to kill you with a look alone. “Sorry, I’ve been trying to wake you up…” you breathlessly explained as you tried to keep your giggles contained while you wiped your eyes with the back of your hand. You then wiped the remaining melted snow from your gloves onto your jeans, not able to contain a few stray chuckles. Clearing your throat, you crossed your arms, smiling somewhat apologetically at the flustered man before you. “You can’t sleep in the car without freezing to death tonight. We’ve gotta get you inside, and I can’t carry your entire weight from here and onto the couch.”

Grumbling something a little too low for your ears to catch, Gavin then started to fumble out of his seatbelt and the car, gripping onto the open door for support. You moved back toward him, arms outstretched and readying yourself to catch him if he started to take a nosedive toward the concrete. As he started the trek forward, you kicked the car door shut with your foot and pushed the lock button on the handle before attentively following close behind him. The slick surface of the driveway almost overturned Gavin at first, but once he was stabilized, he started toward the front door. Scuffing his feet, he started walking as if his feet were made of lead. You held an arm up behind his back as a precaution as you followed closely. When he gave a wobbly pause at the bottom of the stairs that led up to your front porch, you pressed your hand into the middle of his back to ground him.

Taking it upon yourself to maneuver back under his right arm, you tapped the back of his left arm to grab his attention to that side. “Hand on the rail. I’ll help you up.” you instructed. You felt tension in the arm you’d placed around your shoulders, but he wordlessly obeyed, gripping onto the rail as he started up the steps.

Once you reached the front door, you pulled Gavin’s arm from around you, making sure he was steady before you started digging in your jeans pocket for your keys.  It was your turn to fumble about as your chilled fingers struggled to get the key into the lock. You felt Gavin take a step closer to you, looming over your shoulder as he absently watched what you were doing. You couldn’t help but shudder as you felt his breathe fan past your face, but you chose to blame the frigid temperatures for that instead.

“Oh, thank God,” you breathed, immediately shoving your door open once you managed to finally managed to get it unlocked. It was pitch black inside save for the harsh yellow of the streetlamps that filtered in through the doorway. Desperate to get out of the cold, you quickly stepped back and held the door open for Gavin to make his way in, your hands rubbing at your arms in an attempt to warm up once more. Your eyes slid shut in relief as you felt the heat from your house slowly seep into you, not paying any mind to the drunk you were supposed to be looking out for now that you’d had made it in. “Watch your step-“

“SHIT-“ he suddenly gasped, arms flailing out as his foot caught on the threshold of your doorway. Your eyes shot open in time to see him try to catch himself on something, only managing to clutch at the loose leather of his coat that you still wore in the process. Unprepared for the sudden weight pulling you down, you easily tumbled with him, both of you landing with a hard thud. Despite still being drunk, Gavin had managed to maneuver his body around so that he would take the brunt of the fall, his hands clamped onto your upper arms as you instinctively tucked yourself closer to him.

However, that now left you in the pretty compromising position of the entirety of your front pressed into his, your face in his chest, hands fisted into his shirt at his sides and legs straddling his hips. His hold remained tight, almost embracing you protectively against the fall.

Releasing your death grip from his shirt and pressing up from one knee at his hip in an attempt to keep things from being a little too awkward, you pushed yourself up in order to look up at him. Biting the inside of your lower lip, your stomach dropping when he opened his eyes slowly and glanced back up at you, his touch softening on your arms once he realized the danger was over. “You okay?” you asked, your voice steady in spite of everything. You felt your cheeks heat up as he just continued to watch you through hooded eyes. With what little light that had crept in being behind you, a long shadow was cast over his face, and you prayed that that meant he couldn’t easily see yours.

Slowly, his eyes drifted shut and his head thumped softly back onto the floor, a smirk forming on his lips. His hands then drifted down your arms, trailing fire as they went, before his gentle touch stopped at your wrists. He chuckled lowly before replying, his voice slightly raspy.

“Just fuckin’ peachy, sweetheart.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> huge shout out to everyone that's commented so far. i'm SO happy that you guys are enjoying the story!! i don't know where exactly i'm gonna go with this story or how long it's gonna end up, but i can say that y'all can expect some more excitement coming up soon. >:3c 
> 
> p.s., this chapter also has some recycled bits, too!


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